this country repeatedly. also this lunchtime... borisjohnson says he'll find it hard to support rishi sunak�*s new deal with the eu over northern ireland's post—brexit trading arrangements. the final report into the manchester arena bombing will be published, focusing on whether the security services could have prevented the attack. a post—mortem examination is to be carried out on the body of a baby found by police in woodland near brighton. i got one of the chocolate eggs and threw it out of the window. and, on world book day, the uk's biggest story—writing competition for children is back on the bbc. and coming up on the bbc news channel,

former england captain michael vaughan is appearing at the hearing into racist behaviour at the cricket club. it follows allegations made by azeem rafiq in august 2020. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the former health secretary, matt hancock, has described the leaking of thousands of his whatsapp messages written during the height of the covid pandemic as a "massive betrayal and breach of trust". he says the messages were released in a "biased account to suit an anti—lockdown agenda". but the journalist, isabel oakeshott, who revealed the messages, insists she's acted, in the public interest. the messages suggest mr hancock pushed to close schools during the pandemic, while the education secretary at the time, sir gavin williamson, wanted them to stay open. our political correspondent, jonathan blake, has more from westminster.

the impact of the pandemic on education. we the impact of the pandemic on education-— the impact of the pandemic on education. ~ ., ~ , ., the impact of the pandemic on education. ~ . ~ , ., ., education. we are keeping masks on at all times- — education. we are keeping masks on at all times. pupils _ education. we are keeping masks on at all times. pupils and _ education. we are keeping masks on at all times. pupils and teachers - at all times. pupils and teachers wearin: at all times. pupils and teachers wearing masks, _ at all times. pupils and teachers wearing masks, schools - at all times. pupils and teachers wearing masks, schools closed i at all times. pupils and teachers | wearing masks, schools closed to limit the spread of covid, big decisions under new scrutiny. the journalist isabel oakeshott, a critic of lockdown measures, was given access to matt hancock's whatsapp messages to help him write his book. she has since passed them to the daily telegraph, breaking a legal agreement. this to the daily telegraph, breaking a legal agreement.— to the daily telegraph, breaking a legal agreement. this is about the millions of people, _ legal agreement. this is about the millions of people, every - legal agreement. this is about the millions of people, every one - legal agreement. this is about the millions of people, every one of. legal agreement. this is about the | millions of people, every one of us in this country, that were adversely affected by the catastrophic decisions to lock down this country repeatedly, often on the flimsiest of evidence, for political reasons. and yet you help to matt hancock write _ and yet you help to matt hancock write a _ and yet you help to matt hancock write a bookjustifying are because i wanted _ write a bookjustifying are because i wanted to get to the truth of it. matt_ i wanted to get to the truth of it. matt hancock accused her of betrayal. in a statement, he said,

there is no public interest for this huge breach. all the materials for the book have already been made available to the inquiry, he said, which is the only place for everything to be considered properly and the right lessons to be learned. he added, as we have seen, releasing them in this way gives a partial, biased account to suit an anti—lockdown agenda. in late 2020, sir gavin williamson, then education secretary, argued for schools in england to stay open. mr hancock had wanted them closed. an exchange appears to show him pursuing that approach and wanting to find a way, gavin having won the day, preventing a policy car crash when the kid spread the disease injanuary, adding, for that, we must now fight adding, for that, we must now fight a rearguard action for a rational policy. weeks later, the prime minister announced that schools in england would close as part of a lockdown. , , england would close as part of a lockdown. , _ ._ england would close as part of a lockdown. , , ._ . lockdown. they by day, new evidence emer: in: lockdown. they by day, new evidence emerging as — lockdown. they by day, new evidence emerging as the _ lockdown. they by day, new evidence emerging as the scientists _ lockdown. they by day, new evidence emerging as the scientists were - emerging as the scientists were learning about this virus. and from

that experience and those lessons, we were then taking decisions about what to do in schools where 8 million children were in very close quarters. but we did always want to do everything we could to keep schools open. do everything we could to keep schools open-— do everything we could to keep schools oen. ., , ., schools open. right from the start for me, it became _ schools open. right from the start for me, it became clear _ schools open. right from the start for me, it became clear that - for me, it became clear that chiidrerr's_ for me, it became clear that children's well—being wasn't one of the high _ children's well—being wasn't one of the high priority consideration is here _ the high priority consideration is here. there hadn't been the remedial action— here. there hadn't been the remedial action put— here. there hadn't been the remedial action put into schools to be able to mitigate any problem coming down the track _ to mitigate any problem coming down the track. , , to mitigate any problem coming down the track. , ., , , ., ., the track. other messages appear to show matt hancock _ the track. other messages appear to show matt hancock and _ the track. other messages appear to show matt hancock and gavin - show matt hancock and gavin williamson discussing teachers' access to ppe. sir gavin said, some willjust want to access to ppe. sir gavin said, some will just want to say they can't so they have an excuse to avoid having to teach. later, matt hancock congratulated him on a cracking announcement on exams, adding, what announcement on exams, adding, what a bunch of absolute cars is the teaching unions are. sir gavin williamson said in the earlier exchange, he was responding regarding the unions, and has the utmost respect for teachers who work

tirelessly to support students. private discussions now public, casting new light on decisions with huge consequences. jonathan blake, bbc news. 0ur education editor, branwenjeffreysjoins me from our newsroom in leeds. what more do these revelations tell us? about the decision making at a crucial time over whether schools should have shut during the pandemic?— should have shut during the andemic? ~ , , ., pandemic? well, it gives us a ersonal pandemic? well, it gives us a personal insight _ pandemic? well, it gives us a personal insight into - pandemic? well, it gives us a personal insight into the - pandemic? well, it gives us a i personal insight into the tussles within government, the disagreements between the health secretary and the education secretary, in particular leading up to what parents will remember as one of the most chaotic days of the pandemic in england in which schools opened onjanuary the 4th, 2021, only for the prime minister to announce that evening that they would then be re—closing to all but key workers and vulnerable children. of course,

there are wider arguments about the rights and wrongs of lockdown. it's worth remembering that around 200 countries around the world partially or wholly closed their schools in that first year of the pandemic. so england and the rest of the uk were not alone in doing that, even though there were these disputes within government about the when and why. but we know that there has been a lasting legacy for children and that some of that loss learning is still playing out within england's schools. �* . g ' , playing out within england's schools. �* ., g , i, ., schools. branwen jeffreys, live at our studies _ schools. branwen jeffreys, live at our studios in _ schools. branwen jeffreys, live at our studios in leeds. _ borisjohnson has raised concerns about rishi sunak�*s new brexit deal for northern ireland, saying "this is not about the uk taking back control". the former prime minister said he'll find it hard to vote in support of rishi sunak�*s new deal with the eu, over northern ireland's post—brexit trading arrangements. 0ur chief political correspondent nick eardley is in westminster. i'm going to find it very difficult to vote for something like this myself, because i believed that we should have done something different,

no matter how much plaster came off the ceiling in brussels, and i hope that it will work. and i also hope that if it doesn't work, we will have the guts to deploy that bill again. 0ur chief political correspondent nick eardley is in westminster. nick, how much of a headache could this be for rishi sunak, with boris johnson saying he is minded not to support it? it johnson saying he is minded not to su ort it? . ., , johnson saying he is minded not to suort it? . ., , .,�* johnson saying he is minded not to su--ortit? . ., , .,�* , support it? it certainly won't be welcome. _ support it? it certainly won't be welcome, because _ support it? it certainly won't be welcome, because since - support it? it certainly won't be welcome, because since rishi l support it? it certainly won't be - welcome, because since rishi sunak unveiled that windsor framework on monday, there hasn't been much explicit opposition. most people who may have been critical have been withholding their council. well, borisjohnson has broken that they by calling the deal i drag anchor which would make it hard for the uk to diverge from european rules. it's pretty clear that he doesn't want to vote for it. he said that he will

find it very hard. is it a game changer, though? i'm not so sure, because a lot of brexiteers who have made trouble for prime ministers in the past have actually signed up to this deal. they think it's a good thing. the dup seems to be pretty split on whether to accept it, but it's taking its time to look over it. this may give some other tory brexiteers the impetus they needed to come out and say they won't vote for it as well, but i still don't get the sense that there is a massive rebellion that would cause rishi sunak significant distress on this. i am told the prime minister is currently back in windsor. he is at an away day for conservative mps. 0ne at an away day for conservative mps. one of his aides says very potently that he is focused on party unity. he hasn't seen the speech. hick he hasn't seen the speech. nick eardley at _ he hasn't seen the speech. nick eardley at westminster. the third and final report into the manchester arena bombing will be published today. its focus will be on the role

of the security services, on whether the attack could have been prevented, and the radicalisation of the bomber, salman abedi. 22 people were killed in the blast, which happened after a concert by the singer, ariana grande, in 2017. 0ur north of england correspondent, danny savage, is in manchester for us. danny, a big day for the relatives of those who died and those who survived the attack?— of those who died and those who survived the attack? yeah, clive, i think six years _ survived the attack? yeah, clive, i think six years on _ survived the attack? yeah, clive, i think six years on after _ survived the attack? yeah, clive, i think six years on after the - survived the attack? yeah, clive, i think six years on after the aryna i think six years on after the aryna bombing, what we may find out this afternoon is whether or not, from the view of the security services, if it could have been prevented from happening altogether. we know that mis happening altogether. we know that mi5 were aware of salman abedi before the bombing took place. he was a person of interest for some time, but he was then relegated to a larger list of individuals who were previous persons of interest. the

issue the families are going to have todayis issue the families are going to have today is whether sirjohn saunders, the chairman of the inquiry, who arrived here this morning to begin his final day, at two o'clock this afternoon, he will make a public statement about this third and final stage of the inquiry about the security services' involvement with salman abedi. but much of the evidence he heard in relation to that was heard in secret for national security purposes and reasons. and the families didn't hear it at the time. the only people who did hear it people giving evidence, sirjohn saunders and some of the legal counsel. will also be bound by the official secrets act and there will only be so much he can say this afternoon about that. but we do know he will go as far as he can and say as much as he can to help theirfamilies come he can and say as much as he can to help their families come to terms with what happened. and i think this afternoon, we will hear from with what happened. and i think this afternoon, we will hearfrom sir john saunders at two o'clock and then throughout the afternoon from families about whether their questions have been answered about whether this was preventable from a

security services point of view. danny savage in manchester. protesters have clashed with police in athens during demonstrations against the operator of the passenger train that crashed on tuesday. 0fficers used tear gas to disperse the crowds, who'd lit fires in the streets. at least 43 people died after the collision with a freight train, near the town of larissa. with the latest, here's our europe correspondent, nick beake. the aftermath of greece's worst ever rail disaster. a stationmaster in a nearby city has now been charged with manslaughter by negligence and already, the country's prime minister says tragic human error was to blame. but that has sparked anger overnight, including in the capital athens, because for years, there have been warnings that the rail network was not safe. this surgeon, who came out of retirement to help the injured, says the many young lives lost were the victims of systemic failings.

it's a disaster, it's catastrophic. families are crying tonight. unfortunately, the majority of the lost people are young students. they left home happy after the long weekend to go for their studies or to see their relatives, and never reached there. this is one of the hospitals where survivors and the injured have been treated. it's also where some family members have been coming to give their dna, in the hope that maybe any sort of samples that are recovered from the scene today will be matched to their loved ones who are still missing. the force of the explosions were captured on camera, two fireballs ripping through the carriages. visiting the wreckage, greece's transport minister became emotional as he talked about the country's failing train network, and later resigned. it's not known exactly how many passengers are missing, but many families now face

an agonising wait. nickjoins us from larissa now. nick, a terrible situation and one that has clearly caused a lot of anger for the that has clearly caused a lot of angerfor the people that has clearly caused a lot of anger for the people there? yeah, i think if yesterday _ anger for the people there? yeah, i think if yesterday was _ anger for the people there? yeah, i think if yesterday was a _ anger for the people there? yeah, i think if yesterday was a day - anger for the people there? yeah, i think if yesterday was a day of - think if yesterday was a day of shock growing anger. that is because so many people here in greece are looking at the scene behind us and asking themselves and people are now looking at the scene behind us and thinking if it could have been avoided. the code behind us is the third carriage on its side. you may be able to make out some of the emergency workers, members of the army and also a crane and heavy machinery shifting some of the debris on that side. but if we look to our left, the horrific, mangled heap there is what remains of the

first and second carriages where that fire tore through. and the grim reality is, it's going to take days, maybe weeks of painstaking forensic work if they are going to identify the remains of any of the victims from that place. so their work continues here, but also this deep sense of anger, and that is epitomised today with the fact that rail workers are carrying out this industrial action. they are going on strike, saying the jobs they are doing on the network, they are simply not safe and they want urgent action. lots of people say they have concerns that any sort of government investigation will not be one that is full or transparent. hick investigation will not be one that is full or transparent. nick beake, live in larissa. _ a postmortem examination is to be carried out on the body of a baby found by police searching for the missing child of constance marten and mark gordon. the remains were discovered in an area of woodland near brighton, close to where the couple were detained on monday. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy joins us from the scene.

duncan, this is such a tragic case, but at some point we will get confirmation on whether or not this is the child of constance marten and mark gordon?— mark gordon? you're right, clive. that may come — mark gordon? you're right, clive. that may come today, _ mark gordon? you're right, clive. that may come today, it - mark gordon? you're right, clive. that may come today, it may - mark gordon? you're right, clive. | that may come today, it may not. it's been a busy morning here for police in the aftermath of what has happened. the cordon they put in place here is much larger than it was yesterday to allow in more vehicles and more of their personnel. as you say, it comes after that tragic discovery last night of a babies remains in this area behind me, that in turn came after a dramatic 48 hour search for the baby involving some 200 police officers, drones, police dogs and members of the local community. what will happen now is that postmortem examination to try to discover the cause of death. in the same time,

the two people involved, constance marten and mark gordon, are still being questioned by detectives. they were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. yesterday, the police told us they have an extra 36 hours to question the couple. it's not clear when that 36 hours will run out. at the same time, the local community are coming together tonight. they are asking people to light candles and put them in their porches as a mark of what they say is their love and respect for this tragedy. duncan kennedy. some teachers in wales and the south of england are on strike today, in a long—running dispute over pay. it's the third day of walk—outs by neu members. there was industrial action in northern england on tuesday, and the midlands and eastern regions yesterday. it's 1:17 p it'si:i7 p m. it's 1:17 p m. our top it's1:17 p m. our top story this lunchtime, there is more fallout

from matt hancock's leaked whatsapp messages about shutting schools during the pandemic. still to come, the former england captain michael vaughan is due to give evidence in the public hearing into allegations of racism in the sport. coming up on the bbc news channel... britain's first snowboard medal in georgia. the government plans to build additionalfree schools in england for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. the long—awaited department for education proposals aim to improve what it calls a "postcode lottery", where the quality of services varies region by region. charities say the system is in crisis, with children who need support facing long delays before getting help. here's our education correspondent, elaine dunkley. across the country, there are mainstream schools struggling to support children with special educational

needs and disabilities. what's the difference? this is layton primary in blackpool. here there are more than 90 pupils with special educational needs. recruiting for specialist support assistants is incredibly difficult and incredibly challenging. schools are struggling for resources. local authorities are certainly struggling for resources. the capacity in the system just isn't there. this head is transforming an area within the school, where children with special educational needs can be assessed and given individual support. all the local specialist school provision is under huge amounts of pressure to accept increasing numbers of children. what we are planning to do is create a provision whereby we can support them and their learning in a separate environment, but integrate them over time back into classroom. and then you're on another journey, then, aren't you? for these parents, long waiting lists to get children diagnosed with special educational needs and finding the right support has pushed them to crisis.

i go to different services. i see different professionals and every single time i have to explain and explain and explain. i don't know where my children will be in years to come. i don't know what will be out there for them. we can fight as much as we can fight. but if there's nothing there to help, what are we fighting for? see if you can get it - on from the same place. 14—year—old maisie is autistic, has adhd and has struggled to cope in mainstream schools. she's been excluded numerous times and now attends school part—time. i've never liked school. ijust didn't fit in. i was out of school for months. so then when i've gone into a school, it's a bit like so many people just everywhere, like, crowding me. 0n the first day i went there, it was a lot. 0ne foot in the stirrup. beautifully done. when macey�*s not at school, she comes here to heroes,

an educational therapy centre in 0xfordshire. it's helped hundreds of children with special educational needs who are struggling in school. the school pay for me to come here, so they are helping. i think i've learnt a lot more being here. we're still doing work. from mainstream to specialist schools, there are calls for urgent funding and intervention to help support an increasing number of pupils. the government is promising more investment and specialist staff and admits that for too many of the system is broken. almost ended up in the worst of all worlds with a lot more money being spent but the provision not being right, so a big part of the investment is building the capacity and with £2.6 billion into building more places. good. making the right changes are crucial in transforming the lives of thousands of children and young people. for too many, it's been a fight to get the right support. elaine dunkley, bbc news. the former england cricket captain, michael vaughan, is due to give evidence on the second day of the public hearing into allegations of racism made

by the former yorkshire player, azeem rafiq. vaughan and five other of his former team mates are accused of using racially discriminatory language. matt graveling is at the inquiry in central london for us. just refresh as a of what the allegations are in all of this. briefly, clive, some people might find the language in my report slightly upsetting but as you say, michael vaughan is one of seven men along with yorkshire county cricket club who are being charged with bringing the game into disrepute. the former england captain is accused of using racist language to full towards former yorkshire spinner azeem rafiq and three other asian players. vaughan is accused of saying there's too many of you lot, we need to have a word about that. vaughan categorically denies the allegation and his lawyer said he couldn't quite believe the claim had been made against him. his lawyer added that this happened before a t20 match all the way back on the

22nd ofjune, 2009, and due to the passage of time that has passed mr vaughan can't quite remember what he said but he is adamant that he did not use those words. 0ne said but he is adamant that he did not use those words. one of the other players who claims to have heard the comments is the current england bowler adil rashid. he is currently on tour with england in bangladesh but he dialled into the hearing via video link. he said he was not offended, he does not think michael vaughan wasn't racist but this was bad humour. the panel also hear evidence relating to charges against other former players, however, they, like six of the other seven men charged won't be appearing at the hearing having withdrawn from the disciplinary proceedings. matt gravelin: , the disciplinary proceedings. matt graveling, thank _ the disciplinary proceedings. matt graveling, thank you, in central london. an inquest in surrey has heard that the headteacher of epsom college and her daughter, who were found dead at a property on school grounds last month, died of gunshot wounds. the bodies of emma pattison, who was a5, and her seven—year—old daughter lettie, were discovered on february 5th.

her husband, george pattison, is believed to have shot them at their home, before killing himself. the relatives ofjoanna simpson, the woman beaten to death by her estranged husband 13 years ago, have begun a campaign, to prevent his early release from prison. borisjohnson's wife, carrie, has joined the effort, calling on thejustice secretary to intervene to prevent robert brown's release later this year. tim muffett has that story. remembering joanna simpson. westminster chapel in london last night, where family, friends and campaigners gathered to honour her and to fight on her behalf. and to call for the man who killed her, her husband, robert brown, not to be released from prison later this year, halfway through his 26—yearjail term. we're campaigning now to protect ourselves and the public because with the sentence he has, robert brown will be automatically released in november. no application for parole, just out.

robert brown was a british airways pilot. he'd driven to the home he'd previously shared withjoanna in berkshire, in october 2010. armed with a claw hammer, he hit his wife around the head at least 1a times. joanna had tried to defend herself. their two children were in another room and heard the attack. brown then buried his wife's body in a makeshift grave he had dug some weeks earlier. he was cleared of murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. at his trial, jurors heard that brown had been consumed with anger throughout the marriage. the couple were in the middle of divorce proceedings. robert brown said he killed his wife during an argument about schools. if he does come out, god help us. the revenge he will feel, because he feels he was stitched up by us and... ..we're worried. we're very worried. the campaign to keep robert brown in prison is also

backed by carriejohnson, whose speech last night was watched by her husband, the former prime minister, borisjohnson. she was targeted in 2007 byjohn warboys, a taxi driver who was later convicted of rape and a series of sexual assaults. i remember hetti and diana describing themselves as feeling like sitting ducks, powerless to do anything. and i knew that feeling from my own experience when i found out that taxi cab rapist john warboys was due to be released much earlier than we thought, with no explanation as to why. i remember feeling really scared. we think that the justice secretary dominic raab should urgently review this case and use all his powers to do what he can to prevent the early release of robert brown. on sunday, dominic raab said he would be taking a close look at the case and also agreed to meet joanna's family. myjob is always to put victims first, so of course i'll meet with her, and secondly, to protect the public.

at the time of robert brown's sentencing, a prisoner in his situation could expect to serve half of their sentence before being released on licence. but since then, the rules have changed. for serious offences, prisoners now have to serve two thirds of their sentence in custody. but that's still not long enough for many, including joanna's mother, diana. 13 years after her death, the family and friends ofjoanna simpson are still fighting on her behalf and hoping that the man who killed her won't be released from prison this year. tim muffett, bbc news. it's world book day and the uk's biggest story—writing competition for children is returning to the bbc. camilla, the queen consort, who's hosted past grand finals of the 500 words contest, described its return as a "joy". the search begins for volunteerjudges, as bbc breakfast'sjon kay explains.

on my first day at school, do you know what i did? i kicked a nun. 0k. so what i want to think about... as stories go, it's quite an opening. but that's hardly surprising. you made a mate — that's a really happy thing! because today's supply teacher is top children's author and 500 words judge, frank cottrell—boyce. everyone's got a story, everyone can tell a story. we just talked today about important days in your life and every single one of them had a different story. he tells the kids to let their imaginations run wild for 500 words. i'm thinking of making, like, a story about an astronaut who, like, really likes spaceships. we are live at hampton court for the 500 words final! with a brilliant cover of crazy in love... it was the brainchild of chris evans, and more than a million stories were submitted in the first decade of the competition.

as duchess of cornwall, camilla was an honoraryjudge on 500 words, and now, as queen consort, she's supporting the competition again as it returns to the bbc. the joy is that it's about to be relaunched and you have this wonderful moment when you took them, you know, to the venue, the sort of surprise venue for the finals. the pride in those children's faces and the families and schools. the gold—winning story, snow blood window frame by eve molloy. - i couldn't believe it. i thought they were joking. four years on, eve tells me she's still in shock. her fairytale won hundreds of books for herself and for her school. but there was an even greater prize. my confidence, itjust went through the roof. being in 500 words was the best thing that i've ever done.

before any stories are written, 4,000 volunteerjudges have to be recruited. teachers, teaching assistants and librarians, like sarah, who did it last time, and who's signing up again. it's an amazing opportunity to really get insight into the minds of children, to have some really brilliant reading to do, and and to feel that they're playing a part in something that's a really powerful project that really makes a difference to children's lives. this time, the competition isjust this time, the competition isjust for primary school children, for primary school children, and stories don't have to be and stories don't have to be submitted until the autumn, submitted until the autumn, with the winners announced with the winners announced on world book day next march. on world book day next march. words can be magic. words can be magic. if you choose the right word, if you choose the right word, you can make people laugh, you can make people laugh, you can make people cry, you can make people cry, you can start a fight, you can start a fight, you can finish a fight. you can finish a fight. you can make people think, you can make people think, if you just choose the right word. if you just choose the right word. thank you so much. thank you so much. jon kay, bbc news. jon kay, bbc news.

eurovision tickets will go on sale next week, for six preview and three televised shows in liverpool. ticket prices start at £30 and will cost up to £380 for the grand final on 13th may. the event's being hosted in liverpool, after the uk was chosen for the competition on behalf of the 2022 winner, ukraine. fans will need to register for a ticketmaster account ahead of the sale going live from noon on tuesday.